18 July 2013

Unliked

I have
received many requests in recent days to be liked by people who I do not know -
on Facebook. I don't like it. I don't like it at all.

I am a
relatively new user of Facebook and I opted to join it to connect with other
people who write and to see what actually happens there. I was unprepared for
the madness. There is a lot of really weird shit. My offspring and their
cousins invited me into their Facebook lives. This surprised me and then
shocked me. The publicizing of their shenanigans and allowing me to look at
what they do and who they are connected to is interesting.

To say the least.

I have written
about the Facebook phenomena before. I referred to it as "Playing Facebook"
I think of and refer to the constant users of this social medium as "Facebook
Animals".

They don't
like it.

Each day I
receive multiple requests from people who I do not know asking me to
"Like" their Facebook pages. These seem to be set up to promote their
self-published books. Their requests are often accompanied by a message that
says "if you like mine I will like yours". I assume that their
intention is to get attention. To exchange attention. When I look at the Facebook
Pages that I am invited to like I don't like them. There is no "I don't
like it" button so my only option is to 'unfriend' them.

I would like
to do more.

The social
media phenomena is very strange and particularly Facebook. It is however
fascinating and I am at times mesmerized by it. I am hypnotized and I find
myself being a bit of a voyeur. I am peeping Peter.

The word
voyeur is French in origins. Obviously so. It is derived from the Latin word "videre"
which means "to see". The French interpretation is literally "one
who watches".

An alternative
for a voyeur is a scophophiliac. This word is originally Greek and is a "lover
of looking". It has more sexual and pornographic connotations though
than simple voyeurism.

I quite like
saying it though.

I called one
of the English with whom I work a scophophiliac this afternoon - just for
the hell of it and because I like saying it. He of course had no idea
what the term meant and he gave me a confused look and muttered a baffled "Ay
Oop?" The English to whom I referred to as a scophophiliac was a
Northerner. He is from Lancashire and it is quite possible that he is
a scophophiliac. The Northerner asked me "Wa's tha' lad?'. This
is Northerner means "What does that mean mate?".

I just gave
him a wry smile and walked away. If he knew what a scophophiliac was he
wouldn't like it.

I watch
Facebook sometimes with morbid fascination as peculiar people post intimate and
quite often incredibly boring details of their lives to their many thousands of
'friends' and to the world at large. "This is what I am eating".
"I am brushing my teeth now". "I have had my first bowel
movement in three days". "My boyfriend is a bastard" - and on and on it goes. And people 'like'
it. Millions of them. Every minute of every day.

The Facebook
world is surreal. It is not real. No-one in the real world goes up to strangers
and invites them to like them. They do not say 'be my friend'. Real writers do
not ask people to like what they read. They just write stuff and people make up
their own minds.

It may just be
me - but when I receive an invitation to like something on Facebook I will
instinctively not like it. The only available option that exists at present to
express this is to 'like' it then immediately retract my ‘like’. This is not
really 'unliking" it. The creators of Facebook have not offered up any
other options.

I was so
annoyed by the inundation of requests to 'like' what are not very well-written
and are obviously self-published books on Facebook that I posted the following
on my 'page':

“OK these requests from random
"Writers" asking me to "Like" their pages and they will in
turn "Like" mine are getting ridiculous. Read what I write if you
want. Or don't. I don't give a fuck either way. I will do the same with what
you publish and if I like what you have written I will "Like" it. If
I don't I won't. I will never ask you to 'like' what I write or
"like" me - that would just be too desperate and demeaning ..... so
please stop asking me!?

It has had no
effect.

I have since
received more than a dozen requests to 'like' what I believe to be dreadful
pieces of writing. This is only my opinion though – which I am entitled to –
and I am well aware that reading is very subjective and other people may ‘like’
it. My friend James who is both a real friend and a Facebook friend 'liked'
what I wrote and we exchanged banter. My lad Tom weighed in at the tail end of
our conversation the next morning. Here is some of it:

•Peter Heppo Can do. The only other viable option
is for me to "like" then immediately "unlike" - and I
simply couldn't be bothered. I 'unfriend' them instead. 23 hours ago

•James would be defeating the purpose. Would a like follow by a
dislike not just result in nothing? Also, should you be able to multiple like /
dislike for added emphasis? In any event, I don't really give a fuck. 23 hours ago via mobile

•Peter Heppo either ..... However write something
and I will give you a 'like'. Only if you "like" me back though.
There is much madness in the world. A lot of it seems to reside here on Facebook.
23 hours ago

• Peter Heppo heart bleeds for you. I have
given you a temporary and sympathetic 'like'. It will be removed in the
morning. Going to bed now .....21 hours ago

•TomI'll just like everything regardless of my feeling towards the comments
made, merely to increase the likes and subsequently increase those face bookers
egos, why? Just coz. I do what I want, this is Facebook.10 hours ago via mobile